I’ve listened to many reasons people fail on diets.
One of the most cited is “life got in the way.”
A wedding, bachelor party, or happy hour can derail even those who claim the highest of willpower.
Here’s a solution that’s so simple it’s often overlooked.
First, A Hypothetical Thought Experiment
John and Brad are identical twins.
Their diet is rigid.
They cut out all alcohol, processed food, and anything deemed “unclean.”
At the wedding dinner, John and Brad go into a feeding frenzy.
They eat the exact same identical items and stuff themselves silly with the exact same calories.
Brad did one thingsomething so minuscule yet important to his successdifferently from John.
Brad planned to fail.
If you are an experienced dieter, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
(I’ve had about 17 cheat years, if we’re counting.)
Simply instructing dieters to take a break made them react completely different from the norm.
For example, I’ve discussed how mindset alone might determinecardio’s efficacy on weight loss.
In some cases, there is a remarkably inextricable tie between mindset and physiology.
Think about the last time you unintentionally failed on your diet.
You likely felt guilt, self-loathing, and so on.
Where to Go From Here
So what does all this mean?
Plan to fail during those days and don’t rely on willpower.
Don’t feel guilty for your planned failures.It’s important to disassociate guilt with the act of eating.
Remember, you’re allowing yourself a free day to eat anything that you want.
Consider it part of your diet.
you might’t plan to fail every day.A big failure once every week or every other week is fine.
then multiple small failures are fine.
Peeking at the scale canmess with your headand undo the disassociation between eating and guilt.
But don’t trust the amount of willpower and self-control that “future you” will have.
Remember, in the battle of human nature vs. self-control, human nature often wins.
Images byChuck Olsen,Teresa Robinson,Moyan Brenn,Eduards Pulks.
